The Belle-sitter
by silverdoe394
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin brews an aging potion that Belle drinks. Transforming Belle into her adorable 4-year-old self. But until he gets the antidote, he's going to have to become her babysitter. Or in his case - her Belle-sitter.


**I've wanted to write a Rumbelle fic for a while now. And, well, this is what popped into my head that I really liked. Hope you do too.**

**(Apologies for the lame title.)**

* * *

"I have the bottle of mandrake leaves for you," Belle announced as she entered the potion room. The room was underground, not far from the dungeons. It was damp and dimly lit. Shelves with vials holding unknown ingredients sat on the walls. Belle set the small, clear bottle on the table standing in the center of the room.

"Good," Rumpelstiltskin said, picking up the bottle. He popped it open and dumped the leaves in the cauldron that sat in front of him. The potion stirred itself by a spell Rumpel casted. Curiously, Belle peered to see the contents brewing within. The potion was bubbling, and green smoke emanated from the mix. She crinkled her nose at the smell.

"Rumpel," Belle waved her hand in front of her nose. "What is this ghastly potion you're making?"

"All in good time, dearie," Rumpel replied as watched the potion stir a few more times. "It looks about ready now," A blue glittering light appeared over the pot; Rumpelstiltskin casted an enchantment on it. Rumpel grabbed a ladle nearby and scooped some of the mixture out of the pot. He poured the viscous liquid into a cup and held it out to Belle, "Here."

"What kind of potion is it?"

Rumpel let out a frustrated sigh, "Just drink it."

Belle crossed her arms. "I'm not going to drink that if I don't even know what it is."

Rumpelstiltskin glared at the stubborn girl out of exasperation. Unwavering, Belle stared back. The room was in silence.

Belle had been living in the Dark Castle serving Rumpelstiltskin for some time now. Rumpel believed he would have been able to break her stubbornness easily. Unfortunately, he was proven wrong. Almost every endeavor of his to make her do what he wanted, no questions asked, had failed. Normally he would have punished any other person for being disobedient. But Rumpelstiltskin found himself often unable to do so to Belle. He cursed himself.

Finally, Rumpelstiltskin gave up, "It's an aging potion that was requested of me to make. I need you to drink it to see if I brewed it correctly."

Belle tentatively took the cup. Regrettably, she looked at the contents. The potion was a sickly dark green, and somehow the smell was even more repulsive than it was a minute ago. The fumes nearly made her gag. Her eyes had uncertainty in them as she looked up at Rumpel. He made a gesture that said "Go on." Belle took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and drank. She coughed a few times after swallowing the nasty liquid and set the empty cup back on the table. Both waited for a change to take place in the girl.

"I don't feel different," Belle looked down at her body, looking for a sign of any change.

Rumpelstiltskin furrowed his brow. "I put in all the right ingredients, I followed everything that blasted book said," Confused and frustrated, he stomped to potion-making book that sat beside the cauldron. The book was bound in leather, looking rather aged.

"Rumpel?"

"Not now, I'm busy," he waved her off, poring over the pages.

"Rumpel, I-"

"Girl, I won't allow you to read your silly books for a week if you don't silence yourself," he snapped.

"Look at me!" Belle shouted.

The man looked up and saw no Belle. He looked to his left and his right. Nothing. He migrated to the other side of the table. A very small girl stood in Belle's place; she couldn't have been older than four. The girl's head barely reached the tabletop. Long brown curls rested on her shoulders, and she had beautiful blue eyes. It was undeniably Belle; despite the transformation.

"Your potion worked," said a little girl's voice. Rumpel hadn't noticed the change in pitch of Belle's voice before, when she had been calling him. "And my dress is too big for me," Belle was still wearing her dress, but it hadn't shrunk down with her size. Soft, tiny hands held the bodice up to her chest, hiding her naked body. The skirt of her dress surrounded her like an ocean of aureate.

"It worked!" Rumpel said excitedly.

"Yes. Now please change me back. I don't want to walk around naked," Belle replied.

"Very well." Rumpel strode to a nearby cabinet settled against the wall. Inside were various other potions. He filed through them, searching for the antidote.

"What's taking so long?" Belle asked; dress still clung to her chest. The clinking of glass was the only sound made as Rumpel rummaged through the cabinet. Belle felt relieved when he finally shut the cabinet doors. To her dismay, he turned around empty-handed.

"It appears I have run out of the antidote," he stated coolly.

"You ran out?" She was frustrated now. "Didn't you check before you made the potion?'

"'Fraid not." Rumpel laughed impishly. Belle wanted to wipe the grin off his face. She was becoming more self-conscious of the fact that she was almost naked in a room with a man she didn't fully trust yet. Also, she began to feel a headache coming on. Probably a side effect of drinking the potion, she thought.

"Don't fret, silly girl. We will get the antidote tomorrow. Stay here." He headed out of the room and up a flight of stone stairs. Belle wanted to follow him, but couldn't due to the dress being so large; she didn't want to trip on it. The small girl sat on the cold floor and waited patiently for his return. Hopefully he would come back with something she could wear.

* * *

Rumpel climbed the stone stairs that led to a long hallway. Both sides were lined with many doors leading to different rooms. He chose the second one on his left and opened it. After wandering up staircases and through smaller hallways, he reached his bedroom. It was a large, but simple room. The curtains were drawn; shrouding everything in darkness. A bed was positioned against a wall. He opened a drawer that contained clothing of someone much smaller than him. Digging through the clothes, he seized the first pair of pants and shirt he could find. Rumpel shut the drawer and left his room with garments in hand.

Rumpelstiltskin entered the potion room and found Belle sitting on the hard floor, fiddling with a strand of hair, the other hand still holding up her dress to her chest. She beamed at him with a smile only a child could give. His heart melted a little bit; that smile reminded him of the one Baelfire had when he was the same age. Contrary to what he was feeling; Rumpel's face maintained a façade of indifference.

"Yes, I brought you clothing." Rumpel dropped the garments in front of the girl, walking to the table the cauldron sat on.

Belle examined the garb. "These are a boy's." she declared. Belle slipped the shirt over her head. It was an old tattered shirt; the color was a faded light brown. Next she pulled on a pair of baggy cinnamon pants. Belle giggled, she suspected she looked silly wearing the oversized apparel.

"They were my son's." Rumpel said. A large bottle was held in his hands as he poured the aging potion into it.

Belle's smile faltered. She knew Rumpelstiltskin's son was a sensitive topic. "You kept them."

Rumpel finished pouring the liquid into the bottle. He sealed the bottle of potion and left the room with no response. Baelfire was a topic he almost never spoke about. Nor, did he want to speak of him now. Rumpel strode through the hallway, thinking of his lost son. Suddenly, something felt wrong. He spun around; grumbling when he realized Belle was not behind him. He had expected her to follow him out. Once again, Rumpel headed back to the potion room. A snarky comment was about to be made as he entered the room again. To his surprise, Belle was sound asleep on the stone floor. Aging potions were powerful, so it was no surprise that the one Belle had taken a strong effect on her child body.

After multiple attempts of getting the young Belle to wake up, Rumpelstiltskin surrendered. It was no use. He gathered her in his arms easily; she was much lighter than he anticipated. Rumpel carried her until he arrived at her room, if one could call it a room. Gently, he laid the girl down on her bed. A small smile appeared on his face as he saw Belle sleep; her chest raised and fell slowly. Rumpel brushed back curls that hid her face. The man sighed as he glanced around the chamber. Since day one, Belle slept in a dungeon. The only factor that made him consider it a room was a bed to sleep in. It was no place for a lady to stay in, especially not a little girl. Perhaps he would change that.

Rumpel stood up to leave. He observed the sleeping girl one last time as he shut the door.

* * *

**Hope you liked. Not sure how long I'm actually going to make this story. We'll see...**

**Also, I partly dedicate this story to my friend Stefanie. She's wanted me to post this forever, she loves Rumbelle. YOU BETTER APPRECIATE THIS, GURL. Nah, kidding. Love ya.**


End file.
